Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Finding the Time for CRM

Continuing last month’s thought on when is it right to move
to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, another item that prevents
the jump to CRM is the time needed. Many
feel that they simply do not have the time to commit to design, the meetings,
the training, and the other factors that create the downtime used for the
implementation. In short, all of this is
for lack of a better term, “time that we’re not making money” and it can be a
roadblock when deciding which CRM to implement.

When making the jump, you need to decide what type of path
you want to take in consideration of time.
I’ll use my “buying a house
analogy” to clarify. Consider the house
to be your CRM where the data is the furnishings that you need to put in there
– and find room for much of the time. If
you want to hold off on moving in to your new house, until everything is
perfect (refinishing floors, walls, redoing kitchens, etc.), there are CRM
systems out there for you. You’ll spend
a lot of time planning, covering all bases for data, reports, completing all
customizations so that all is perfect and ready for launch. Let’s just say that awkward “where are we
going to put all our stuff?” conversation won’t be needed.

However, some like to just move in, get dirty and fix it as
you go (that’s more my style to be honest) which can work very well, allowing
for changes as your staff adjusts their techniques and processes to coincide
with the technology. In the beginning, you
will end up accounting for the necessary processes and data imports (and
customization), knowing that add-on products, other changes and further
training will be needed. This is like
storing that extra stuff in the basement until you know exactly there you’ll
put it (if at all). However, as the
comfort level of the team increases, the space and time for advanced training
and enhancement also increases.

Then there are the “install and walk away” type
implementations. A little server work,
some brief training and away you go on your way to selling and using your CRM. Customizations will inevitably come later,
but at least the initial time spent is very little. You and your team will need to learn and pick
up things quickly, but companies realize that they need something and are
satisfied with the out of the box as it is better than what they had before. Remember moving into your first house and you
thought, “How will I fill up all this space?” You had a couch, a bed, and a TV
and the house seemed sway too big. However,
within no time you filled it up albeit leaving that dining room empty for a
couple of years.

A quick side note, keep in mind that beyond the initial
implementation, you have to take the future enhancements and training into
account for time spent. You’re very
rarely “finished” with a CRM implementation as with any sales process that
evolves and changes, your CRM system also has to adapt to those changes. Consider your home – are we ever done
changing it, improving it, or renovating?
There is always maintenance which comes with the territory, but keeping
the value of any home (or CRM system) requires some upkeep and changes
throughout the years.

All that being said, this time spent during the
implementation (training, design, configuration, and testing) as well as future
design and enhancements is a cost. It’s
not as easy to calculate, but it’s a cost and something to consider when
discovering the best option for you and your company. As I said in my last post, you’ll never
really be ready, but the smart business person realizes they have to invest the
money to make the money – consider all this time to just be part of that
initial investment. Find the software
and consulting team that will work with you based on not only your budget
restraints, but your time requirements, another cost that is often overlooked.